World Elephant Day takes place on Tuesday the 12th of August this year and will be celebrated by wildlife lovers and conservationists all over the world. On this #WorldElephantDay The Conservation Action Trust (CAT) are doing their ‘Ivory’ Burn in Cape Town at Eerste Steen Resort in Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, just after Big Bay, at 14:30.
The Cape Town Burn will pay homage to the ivory burn of 1989 where the Kenyan government ignited 12 tons of seized elephant tusks in a gesture to persuade the world to halt the international trade in ivory. This year, despite the ban on the international trade in ivory, the insatiable demand for ivory now threatens the survival of elephants in many countries.
African governments, including our own continue to accumulate stockpiles of ivory condoning the concept that there is a commercial value to ivory beyond its place in the wilderness. Stockpiling ivory undermines the international ban on the ivory trade.
The fire will be lit at 14:30 with the iconic view of Table Mountain in the background. Join us in sending a smoke signal across newsfeeds to raise awareness about the plight of Africa’s Elephants. If you are in possession of any ivory trinkets we urge you to bring these along and make your own statement, by throwing these commodities into the fire.
All over the world on this day people who care will be celebrating and paying homage to the greatest of earth’s animals, be a part of it. You can follow the chat on Twitter by searching the #WorldElephantDay tag, and I will be Tweeting live from the event, so follow me on @MrCPT and use the #IvoryBurnCPT hashtag! You can also keep up with the online word from @ConsActionTrust on their account 🙂
